Chronic venous disease is among the most common vascular diseases in the world, as it affects 60–80% of the adult population of the developed world. It is characterized by venous hypertension, caused by improper functioning of the venous valves, which can no longer prevent the reverse flow of blood in the veins of the lower extremities. Chronic venous disease is most often manifested as heavy, tired, and swollen legs, mesh veins, and varicose veins, possible complications are thrombophlebitis and venous ulcer. In addition to conservative treatment, which includes external compression, venoactive drugs and treatment of complications, a wide range of herbal medicines, nutritional supplements, and cosmetic products are available today to relieve the symptoms of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. With this master's thesis, we wanted to check the composition, and safety of the mentioned products accessible on the Slovenian market. We selected and examined the composition of 36 products and selected 32 ingredients that could ease the symptoms of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. Among these ingredients, we presented in greater detail the 18 ingredients that appeared most often in the products. We examined 2 herbal medicines, 11 nutritional supplements, 1 medical device, and 22 cosmetic products. The selected products contained an average of 3,7 ingredients. Horse chestnut, menthol, grapevine, rutin, butcher 's-broom, vitamin C, and diosmin appeared most often in the selected products. By examining relevant literature, we obtained information on the mechanisms of action of the selected ingredients, and assessed their effectiveness and safety. The observed mechanisms of action were antioxidant, antiedematous, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, vasoactive, vasoprotective, and venotonic. Each product exhibited at least 2 different mechanisms. 18 (56,3 %) of the selected ingredients showed efficacy in humans, of which 12 were effective per os, 3 were effective when applied topically, and 3 were effective both per os and topically. Some ingredients were effective in humans in combination with other ingredients. 66,7 % of the selected products contained at least 1 effective ingredient. Medicines, nutritional supplements, and cosmetic products can contain the same ingredients, but the dosages in food supplements and cosmetic products must be lower than the effective dosages in medicines. We found that the lowest reference daily intakes of selected nutritional supplement ingredients are lower than the lowest dosages that have been effective in human studies, but some of the greatest are not. Based on available literature information on safety, we found that 90,6 % of all selected ingredients can cause at least one adverse effect, and all products contain at least one such ingredient. Allergic reactions and gastrointestinal problems predominate among the adverse effects of the selected products. Horse chestnut and gotu kola exhibit the greatest number of adverse effects, and they also stand out in terms of the severity of adverse effects. 25 % of the selected ingredients found in 11 (30,5 %) products can interact with medicines. We found that more than half of the selected products can help improve the symptoms of varicose veins and venous insufficiency however, all products can cause adverse effects, and some ingredients can also interact with medicines. From the perspective of safety, it is recommended to consult a pharmacist or personal physician before purchasing and using herbal medicines or nutritional supplements
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